Summers’ double-double leads Marjory Stoneman Douglas over North Broward Prep

COCONUT CREEK, FLORIDA – Senior Damerius Summers finished with a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds, Tuesday, as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles secured a quality road victory over North Broward Prep, 59-50. The 6-foot-7 wing/forward led an 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter to help lead the Eagles (16-5) to victory.

Summers’ length on the low block with his back to the basket and reach off his turnaround shot helped erase a five-point third quarter deficit for Stoneman Douglas. More so, Summers was able to use his length and athleticism off the dribble to score off the wing and in transition. MSD also received strong efforts from senior combo guard Jhalen Phang, with 12 points on two 3-pointers, and senior point guard Jaheem Smith, with 11 points on a pair of 3-pointers.

“As a team we played hard, came in knowing they had a 10-game win streak,” said Summers. “We brought it a little more and we just earned ourself a ticket to the Big 8. We have to continue our season because that’s not the main goal. I’m a stretch four. I can play on the perimeter, but my main game is inside. I can attack guys with my length and I feel I have a little bit of strength on me also. I need to get a bigger frame, but as of now I feel I can outwork guys on the low block.”

After a near even first half, Marjory Stoneman Douglas would jump out to a 33-27 lead behind Summers with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter. A rally by North Broward Prep would then tie the game at 36 after an emphatic dunk by 6-foot-5 freshman guard Junxi Yang forced an Eagles timeout. Senior forward Alex Wigginton also provided North Broward Prep’s push with relentless hustle and timely shooting. The 6-foot-3 forward finished the night with 10 points on two 3-pointers.

Despite holding a five-point advantage heading into the final quarter, North Broward Prep would relinquish its lead before a 3-pointer by Wigginton brought the score back to 50-44 with 4:44 remaining in the game. The Eagles only other field goal of the quarter also came on a 3-pointer by Pavle Djeric with seconds remaining in the contest. In total, it was a 20-6 period in favor of Marjory Stoneman Douglas that provided the final outcome.

Senior shooting guard Ryan Weiss led the way for North Broward Prep with a team-high 12 points. The Eagles also received contributions from senior Ben Daniels with seven points and Djeric’s six points on two 3-pointers. The loss drops the Eagles back to 16-6 on the season.

“I knew coming in here they were a really big team that could shoot and were efficient,” said Marjory Stoneman Douglas head coach Shaune Cannon. “Against efficient teams, we had to be as disciplined as we possibly could down the stretch. I just wanted us to be balanced on the floor sharing the ball.

"We worked to Damerius sometimes, but then get his other guys involved to keep them honest on the floor. Sometimes, we get in a habit of just force-feeding Damerius the ball and their able to load up and double team. We knew down the stretch we wanted to switch the plays up and then come back to him and get him going. Then we switched some things up on defense where we wouldn’t switch hard and play through things and let Damerius push tempo. You see he had a couple of breakaway dunks after that.”